NYPD: 81-Year-Old Blind Man Beaten, Robbed After Withdrawing Money From Queens ATM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A rally was held demanding arrests for the violent mugging of an 81-year-old legally blind man last month in Queens.
The victim, Bill Eichhorn, left church and walked to a Chase Bank on Queens Boulevard near 46th Street in Sunnyside around 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 26.
Eichhorn had just withdrawn money to buy a newspaper and coffee when he was beaten and robbed of $100 and his debit card, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
NYPD: 81-Year-Old Man Beaten, Robbed After Withdrawing Money From Queens ATM
"Just as I got the dollars in my hand, two guys came -- one on either side -- and said, 'Give it up,'" Eichorn said. "I didn't give it up right away so they got a little angry I guess and that's when they popped me."
Eichorn, his family, local police officers and members of the City Council held a rally outside the bank Tuesday to enlist the public's help to track down the suspects.
"Two brutes decided that they needed to punch my 81-year-old, legally blind father to get his money," Eichorn's daughter, Mary Anne Gasparro, said.
NYPD: 81-Year-Old Blind Man Beaten, Robbed After Withdrawing Money From Queens ATM
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said he's doing everything he can to distribute images of the suspects in hopes of cracking the case, CBS2's Diane Macedo reported.
"To do it at a bank with cameras shows desperation and stupidity," Van Bramer said. "We're hoping they're dumb enough to tell someone they did this."
When asked what he'd like to see happen to the suspects, Eichorn said, "Give them a whack like they gave me, but other than that I hope they give them whatever the law would allow. I guess they should at least get a couple of days in jail."
Eichorn's family said they've offered to accompany him places and run his errands for him but he refused, saying this will not stop him from going about his daily routine.
In addition to finding the suspects, Eichorn's family wants to find a Good Samaritan who helped him after the incident.
"My father was laying on the bank floor yelling for help, somebody heard his cries for help, came into the bank, helped him to his feet, called 911, waited with him until the police arrived and even escorted him to the 108th precinct," Gasparro said. "To this date this person is unknown and my family is eternally grateful."
Some members of the community expressed outrage over the attack and hope the suspects are caught and brought to justice.
"I'm furious and it's all a direct result of poor policy and management within the city of New York," said retired Army Sgt. Marvin Jeffcoat. "This is where I want to raise my family and I am angry that something like this could happen in my neighborhood."
Jeffcoat called the suspects cowards.
"It's cowardice," he said. "It was cowardly and they should catch those punks and they should fry them."
"There's no question that these two are very dangerous people, desperate people, and they definitely could be capable of doing something much worse," Van Bramer said.
A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips to the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:
